Melcher pondered for several moments. "I think I know Lorelei better than you do," he stated, deliberately, "and I believe we can pull this off, provided Wharton really wants to marry her.
Anyhow, he"s so rich it"s worth the odds, and she"s just the sort to fall for it."
"What"s the idea?"
"If she"s sore about that story in The Despatch we"ll pull another one--and keep pulling them."
"Humph! That"ll queer Wharton."
"Not if you get inside his shirt and make him believe they"re lies. You and your mother will have to convince her that he"s her only "out.""
"I don"t think much of that program," Jim protested, nervously.
Melcher smiled. "A girl like her can be driven anywhere if she"s handled right. Between you and your mother and Lilas you can do it."
"Perhaps, but I doubt it. Ma"s got her afraid of men. If we could scare her good, if we could tip some John to rough it with her some night, she might stampede to the altar."
"That"s easy, but you can"t put a stop-order on a thing like that.
There"s no telling how far the guy might go."
"Oh, she"ll take care of herself," said Jim, carelessly; "she"s as strong as a pony."
"If you"ll take the chance I"ll stake a shillaber to do it. I"ve got half a dozen high-cla.s.s fellows working the hotels, and Lilas knows some of them."
Jim shrugged disgustedly. "I suppose I"ll have to repent and be a good boy," he snorted, "and let Lorelei weep on my shoulder. Gee!
She makes me sick."
"I"ll take care of my part, and--maybe we can put it through. This is out of my line, but they do it abroad, so why not here? The girl"s no more than human." Mr. Melcher seemed ingenuously pleading for reasonableness. "If we make good I"ll hang out a sign, "Max Melcher, Matrimonial Agent." Meanwhile I want it understood with your mother that I share in what comes her way."
"I"ll fix that," promised Jim.
He found it, in fact, no very difficult task to regain at least a part of his sister"s lost esteem, though the process took time. He went about it with the lazy, cat-like patience of his kind, behaved himself, kept his mouth shut, and a.s.sumed just enough of an injured air to be plausible. He enlisted the aid of his mother and of Lilas Lynn, and meanwhile made himself as agreeable as possible to Robert Wharton.
Melcher was as good as his word, and there shortly appeared in The Despatch an unpleasant rehash of the former story. It was published in connection with the Hammon divorce proceedings, news of which was exciting comment, and it further smirched Lorelei"s reputation. Wharton ignored it utterly, but Merkle was prompt in his indignation and sympathy. This unshaken confidence in her afforded Lorelei far more comfort than Bob"s unconcerned att.i.tude, which might be merely the result of his own lax standards. Upon the other men she knew the effect of the story was quickly noticeable, and she was forced to be on guard at all times.
Several whom she considered sincere admirers proved to be quite the opposite; some whom she had counted as friends dropped her entirely; others of a different sort undertook to press their acquaintance beyond prudent bounds.
Jim was appropriately indignant, but helpless, and Mrs. Knight unweariedly blamed everything upon her daughter"s desertion of the family circle, predicting more evil to follow unless Lorelei came home at once. She also dwelt upon the fact that Peter was steadily failing and was in immediate need of both medical and surgical attention. The doctor had p.r.o.nounced sentence, prescribing a total change of living and a treatment by foreign specialists.
In some unaccountable way the story of n.o.bel Bergman"s humiliation became public and afforded the basis for a newspaper article that brought him to Lorelei"s dressing-room in a fine fury. Even after she had convinced him of her innocence his resentment was so bitter that she expected her dismissal at any time.
Other press stories followed; the girl suddenly found herself notorious; scarcely a day pa.s.sed without some disagreeable mention of her. There was published a highly imaginative but circ.u.mstantial account of a weak-minded youth whom she had driven to suicide--utterly false, of course, but difficult to deal with.
A Sunday "special" appeared--one of those fantastic, colored- supplement nightmares--in which she was pictured as a vampire with an angel"s face. It was the hackneyed "moth and flame" story. The page was luridly decorated with a swarm of entomological curiosities--winged bipeds supposedly representing her fatuous admirers. These fond victims of her enticements appeared to be badly singed and crippled.
Adoree Demorest, as indignant as Lorelei herself, declared finally that her friend must be the object of a premeditated attack directed by some strong hand, and once this suspicion had entered Lorelei"s mind it took root in spite of its seeming extravagance.
Her good sense argued that she was of too little consequence to warrant such an a.s.sault, but her relatives seized the suggestion so avidly as to more than half convince her.
Mrs. Knight attributed this injustice first to Bergman, then to Merkle, whom she hated bitterly since her unfortunate attempt at blackmail; Jim was inclined to agree with her.
"Money can do anything," he stated, gloomily, "and these big guys amuse themselves by hunting beautiful women. It"s a game with them. When one of "em takes a fancy to a girl she"s a goner. It may not be Merkle in this case, but--you"re the handsomest woman in New York, and I"ll bet some old spider is weaving his web for you. When he has spoiled your good name and ruined your chances of marrying or of making an honest living he"ll creep out and show himself. They frame innocent men for Sing Sing in this town, so why can"t they frame a girl for something else?"
Lorelei abhorred spiders; the picture of some evil-minded millionaire enmeshing her in a web of intrigue brought a sickening feeling of helplessness and apprehension. Of course she thought the idea utterly fantastic, but Jim and her mother appeared to believe it, and her own notions of the city"s wickedness were so vivid that anything seemed possible. Certainly some malign influence seemed to be deliberately at work against her, and a thousand disagreeable incidents, once she took time to reflect upon them, bore out her suspicions. She was half minded to run away, but dared not.
Mrs. Knight, as always, ended her sympathetic rea.s.surances by saying, "If you were only married, my dear, that would end all our troubles."
The climax of these annoyances came one night after a party at which Lorelei had been presented to an old friend of Miss Lynn"s.
Lilas had introduced the man as one of her girlhood chums, and Lorelei had tried to be nice to him; then in some way he arranged to take her home. The memory of that ride was a horror.
Lorelei, as Jim had said, was strong, and she fought the ruffian"s attack with the desperation of utter terror; but her shame at the indignity was so keen that she refrained as long as possible from crying for help. Then, hearing her screams, the chauffeur stopped his car and made an investigation. Fortunately for her, he was more of a man than most night-hawk drivers, and he promptly summoned an officer.
Miss Lynn"s girlhood friend waited for no test of the law; he beat a hasty retreat, uttering threats that rang in Lorelei"s ears and redoubled her previous fears.
Her wrists and arms bore purple marks, her dress was torn, her limbs shook from the effects of her struggle, and even when she had gained the security of her rooms she was unable to shake off her fright. Neither could she sleep, for menacing forms crouched in the darkness: most of the night she walked the floor in a panic.
She knew now that she was hunted; the man had told her so. She felt like a deer cowering in a brake with the hounds working close. Her cover seemed pitifully insecure.
Thus far Max Melcher"s campaign had worked even better than he had expected; and meanwhile he had employed Jim in a.s.siduously cultivating Robert Wharton and arranging as many meetings as possible between Bob and Lorelei. A short experience had taught Jim to avoid his victim in daylight, for in Bob"s sober hours the two did not agree; but once mellowed by intoxication, Wharton became imbued with a carnival spirit and welcomed Jim as freely as he welcomed every one. Incidentally the latter managed to reap a considerable harvest from the a.s.sociation, for Bob was a habitual gambler, and the courteous treatment he received at Melcher"s place seemed to reconcile him to the loss of any amount of money.
When, on the morning after her distressing adventure, Lorelei sent for her brother and demanded vengeance upon her a.s.sailant he decided that it was time to test the issue. He pretended, of course, to be ferociously enraged, but on learning over the telephone that the wretch had left the city he declared that there was nothing to be done except perhaps exact an explanation from Lilas.
Miss Lynn, however, could offer no excuse. She was heartbroken at the occurrence, but she was too full of her own troubles to give way to her sympathy for others. Jarvis Hammon, it seemed, had heard about the party, and was furious with her.
"You must expect to meet some muckers in this business," she remarked, philosophically, "and you"ve had so much notoriety, my dear, that the fellow probably wouldn"t believe you were all right."
Jim agreed. "I guess you"ll have to forget it, Sis. Just don"t think about it. I"ll bring Wharton around to-night, and we four will have supper, eh?"
Lilas"s hesitation in accepting this invitation seemed genuine, but she acquiesced finally, saying with a short laugh: "All right.
Maybe a little jealousy won"t hurt my lord and master. He"s getting too bossy, anyhow."
When the four set out that night Robert Wharton was in exceptional spirits and, as always, devoted himself to Lorelei. For him life was a joyous adventure; he took things as they came, and now that he knew the girl for what she was he did not allow himself the slightest liberty. He was a fervent suitor, to be sure, yet he courted her with jests and concealed his ardor behind a playful raillery.
Jim had ordered supper at a popular Washington Heights inn, and thither the quartette were driven in an open car which he hired in the square beside the theater.
As the gla.s.sy expanse of upper Broadway unrolled before them Bob explained: "My chauffeur quit to invest his savings in real estate, so I sold my machine. If he"d only listened to my advice and bought stocks with my money I might have made a good commission and afforded to keep a car. But n.o.body deals with the brokers nowadays." He sighed gloomily. "We live lonely lives. We are objects of suspicion--even the newsboys bite the pennies we give them."
Jim scoffed. "I suppose you Pittsburg plunderers don"t know where your next meal is coming from."
"Mine is coming from you, I hope, otherwise I"ll be a public charge until banking-hours."
"You"ve been gambling again," Lorelei accused.
Bob nodded carelessly.
At their destination they found seats on a balcony overlooking the Hudson; and Jim, being in funds, played host with a prodigality that mimicked Wharton.
It was a charming place for a supper; the wooded bluffs fell away abruptly and a cool breath from the river refreshed the diners; the inn itself was just comfortably filled with merry-makers whom the heat had driven from the asphalt canons farther down-town; in the distance the Jersey lights winked like glittering brilliants sewed into the night; other illuminations swam through the mysterious void separating the sh.o.r.es; an orchestra played, not too loudly, and several couples were dancing. It had been a stifling week; people complained that they could not dine in comfort, yet they tangoed and trotted bravely wherever there was music and an open floor.
Contrary to her custom, Lilas Lynn allowed herself free rein, and for once drank more than was good for her, rejoicing openly in the liberty she had s.n.a.t.c.hed.
It is a peculiar experience to sit soberly through a meal and see one"s companions become intoxicated. Lorelei had often done so, carelessly enough, but now her recent worries had not only depressed her, but made her pensive, and it was in no approving mood that she watched Lilas and Bob respond to the effect of the wine. The whole procedure struck her, like her present life as a whole, as both inane and wicked, and she longed desperately to lay hold of something really decent, true, and permanent.